One Penny Rd, Monster Kitchen and Bar, Chiara, GOMA Restaurant

Our restaurant critics' picks of the latest and best eats
around the country this week including One Penny Rd, Monster
Kitchen and Bar, Chiara, and GOMA Restaurant.

SYDNEYOne Penny Red
A retired post office it may be, but this is no dead letter
office. Whether it's fans of RJ Lines who have followed his cooking
from Glebe
Point Diner to Neutral Bay Diner to here, or just because
Summer Hill locals are stoked to have a great new eatery right on
Moonbie Street, the place is pumping. Lines' fans will be pleased
to see a few dishes from his previous kitchens have made the move
with him (the duck liver pâté and skewers of pork belly and
kingfish among them), and just about everyone will like the pitch
of the menu overall, packed as it is with the likes of slow-roasted
lamb shoulder and chickpea purée paired with a frisky salad of
sorrel ribbons and pomegranate, and roast chicken with braised
shallots sold by the half and whole bird. This is no ivory tower
restaurant, either: the reasonable prices, kids' menu and
no-bookings bar upstairs (Lines' mighty cheeseburger is on the
snack menu) are all geared to serve the neighbourhood the way it
wants to be served. Better still, co-owner David Murphy's excellent
wine list features some very hip choices (Shobbrook riesling and
Frederick Stevenson grenache-carignan alongside gamay from
Beaujolais producer Merize) sold by both the glass and half-bottle
carafe. And they do brunch. Take a letter, Maria.
One Penny Red, 2 Moonbie St, Summer Hill, NSW, (02) 9797
8118. PAT NOURSE

CANBERRAMonster Kitchen and Bar
A big part of what has made Canberra's Hotel Hotel the most
talked-about new accommodation in Australia is the involvement of
scores of artisans, each lending a bespoke touch. Chef Sean
McConnell's contribution is entirely simpático with the larger
project, sharp, locavore-leaning cooking grounded in fine seasonal
produce from trusted producers. The food is smartly plated on fine
Mud plates and bowls, but never wants for substance or
deliciousness. Pulled lamb shoulder is rich with the scent of
cumin, cardamom and cinnamon, balanced with pomegranate and smooth
labne. It goes well with a modern take on a classic - Brussels
sprouts roasted to a light caramel hue and dressed with lardons and
crumbly brioche. And for a late-night snack, light and fluffy bao
hosts a crisped-up piece of slow-cooked pork neck, offset with just
the right amount of chilli sauce and punchy cucumber kimchi. It's
open early, it's open late, it's got great booze. It's Monster, and
it's going to be massive. Monster Kitchen and Bar, Hotel Hotel,
New Action Nishi, 25 Edinburgh Ave, ACT, (02) 6287 6287.
GARETH MEYER

MELBOURNEChiara
The latest addition to the food cluster at Dockland's Collins
Square (Bar Nacional, Long Shot Café)
is a smooth Italian diner called Chiara (pictured). With its
smoked-mirror ceiling over the bar, timber floors, leather
banquettes and black Venetian blinds, the darkly glam fit-out has a
dramatic, vaguely Futurist look that tends to work better at night
(though the view into a converted, heritage-listed goods shed is
livelier in daylight hours). Englishman George Fowler (ex-Pollen Street Social, London) has
assembled a frequently changing, user-friendly menu of Italian
greatest hits that includes pizza made with stone-ground organic
flour (the Margherita includes fresh cherry tomatoes on top of the
traditional mix), crowd-pleasers like polpette, seafood fritti and
impressive giardiniera, and a small list of pasta dishes. Simply
cooked fish and meat feature, too. Desserts, by pastry maestro
Shaun Quade (also maker of the sweet stuff at Bar Nacional),
include a loopy but very successful take on tiramisù with beetroot
and salted coffee in the mix. Chiara, 705a Collins St,
Docklands, Vic, (03) 9252 7909. MICHAEL HARDEN

BRISBANEGOMA Restaurant
Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art is gearing up for Harvest, a major exhibition
showcasing a substantial collection of food-related works, taking
over the ground floor from 28 June to 21 September. Featured works
range from a replica of a Chinese supermarket and floating
biosphere gardens through to old-school still-lifes and interactive
workshops. A cinémathèque program offers free screenings of
Babette's Feast, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Entre
Les Bras and more. But the tastiest place to explore the nexus
between food and art might just be GOMA Restaurant. Normally it
only opens for lunch, but during the show it'll open for dinner on
Friday nights. At its linen-draped tables you'll find intricate and
cleverly plated dishes that are surprisingly affordable and feature
the best of local produce - $75 for a seven-course lunch
dégustation. It's art on a plate. GOMA Restaurant, Stanley Pl,
Cultural Precinct, South Bank, Qld, (07) 3840 7303. FIONA
DONNELLY

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